Arm cap release for reclining backs of coach seats



July 17, 1951 E. w. HOLLIS 2,560,796

ARM CAP RELEASE FOR RECLINING BACKS 0F COACH SEATS Filed March 27. 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet i INVEN TOR. maid $952152? 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. W. HOLLIS MN Wm INVEN TOR. L 1 z2 /a[d//M$ ARM CAP RELEASE FOR RECLINING BACKS 0F COACH SEATS Filed March 2'7, 1947 July 17, 1951 E. W. HOLLIS July 17, 1951 ARM CAP RELEASE FOR RECLINING BACKS OF COACH SEATS Filed March 27, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Maid fll/ya/iy Patented July 17, 1 951 UNI T OFFICE 2&560fl9'6 ARM GAPRELEASEFOR RE'GLINING BACKS? LOF COACH SEATS Edward Hollis, Evanstnm 11-13,. assignor' to Coach-'8;war-Equipment ,Onnporatiom-Ghicago', :Ill.,.a corporationzofilllinois- 1 "This invention relates to seat structures in i which the back rests thereof are supported for adjustment "to various reclining positions. Seat structures ofthis general class may be"used"*in various situations and the inventiongin "its broad aspect, includes all such uses, but it is' concerned" more particularly'with the seats having adjustable reclining backs which are adapted for use in theva'rious fields of passenger transportation.

"The seat structures of theabove general class whichhave'been heretofore installed in passenger" vehicles, have included some form or other of back releasing mechanism intended to be actuatedby the passengers, but these structures have not been entirely satisfactory. Thepush butt'on'si andlevers, ordinarily used'for the purpose of releasing the back structure, are usually arranged. in inconspicuous'locat'ions andare not readily accessible when'the passenger is 'in a reclining position.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a seatba'ck releasing and, restoring mechanism wherein the manual control not only is locatedin a conspicuous position but is of such a character as to be operable in a;- manner which seems natural to the passenger and'which is readily accessible atall times.- To thisend, the novel manual control providediby this invention takes 'theform of an, elongatedqarm cap which is part of the arm rest and is movable by the passenger to effect release of the back? holding mechanism and thereby enablethe back of the seat to be adjusted either forwardly or backwardly to any desired position within its; mange of movement and to be restored. to itsl. normal position. I

Itis therefore a specific object of theinvention to provide improved mechanism .forreleasably locking the back structure of a seat in any of iii-plurality ofsele'cted positions, which means in,- cludes a simplified manual controlifor unlocking the backstructure preparatory to carrying outaf desired change of reclination'-thereo'f and 'i'm proved arrangements and constructionsior auto matically' moving the back towardits normal position when the lock is released"preliminaryto actor-ward movement-of the pass'engefls bodywoward: an upright position.

:Specifically, the invention includes the provision-ofyan armrest which is providedrwithwa;

movable cap adapted to be moved in; -a direction bythecoccupant of the seat to bring, abouttherelease of the reclining ,back of the seat. The; movablearm cap is-superimposed upon the main, Side ,arm structure and is ,preierably upholstered;

taken at line '5-5 of Fig.

or otherwisecushioned to provide :a comfortable:

This-. -arrangement is highly satisfactory from the:

standpoint-of immediate accessibility and is fur-'- ther advantageous in that thenatural action of the occupant of the seat, in attempting to rise i rom-a -partially reclined posture, is tograsp thearmrest on pulling himself" up. In this way the force exerted by the back-restoring mechanism urges-the back structure toward its normal position and thereby closely follows the forward movement of the passengers body.

Other *featuresof the invention are in the na ture-ofdetailed improvements which will be'dealt with in conjunction 'with the description as follows:

The-invention isillustrated-in certain preferredembodiments in the accompanying drawings; wherein:

' Fig. l is-a;side"elevationalviewof a reclinableback coachseat equipped'withback control'mechanism constructed in accordance with this inven- Fig. 23is an enlarged view; partly in section, showing-the'back operating and control mechanism; this'view' being taken from the inside of the right arm structure shown in Fig. 1 and looking in the opposite direction to that in which Fig; '1' "is viewed;

Fig; 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken at: line 3-3 of" Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 'istan' enlarged detail taken at line 4-! QfTfig'. '2.

Fig. 5' 'is an enlarged fragmentary detail view Fig; 6 .is an enlarged sectional detail taken online 6'-6" of Fig. 2..

Fig. 7i's aperspect'ive view of anelongate sheet. metal channel member forming a component part of. the slidable arm cap. I

The, coach seat, in .shown in side elevation in Fig. I comprises a supporting standard or base fljl adapted to be bolted to the floor, a frame ll, a seatcushion .13, a back [4 and .a main side armv structure I15. Usually these seats are made. up innnits' of two adjustable sections to accommoid'atev two people sitting side by side. Such a, unit comprises two individual seats, two individual-backs and two side arm structures. However, tor the purpose of describing, the present invention, it is sufficient to consider only one-half of such double unit and. it may be assumed that thereisno middle -armrestbetween the twoseat cushions. The back rest I4 is mounted on a pair of spaced upstanding bars |6 which are fixedly connected at their lower ends to a horizontal rocker-shaft journaled in suitable bearings, not shown. The said back is therefore rotatable with said rocker-shaft between the fully upright position, shown in full lines in Fig. l, and'the fully reclined position, shown in dot-dash outline in the same figure. The seat cushion I3 is mounted on a suitable track, not shown, and is connected through the medium of a pair of links I8 and lever arms [9 to the rocker-shaft by virtue of which connections it moves forwardly on its track concurrently with each rearward v '15 the subject invention is concerned, it is immamovement of back l4, and vice versa. So far as terial whether seat I3 is movable, as above de scribed, or is stationary.

The back releasing mechanism shown in Figs. 2-6 inclusive is operative to lock the back I4 in any one of several positions, including the two extreme positions shown in Fig. 1, and a number of intermediate positions. The said mechanism is further operative to release the back to permit angular readjustment whenever the occupant of the seat so desires. Said releasing mechanism includes a lever arm secured at its upper end to rocker-shaft I1 and pivotallyconnected at its lower end to one extremity of a horizontal link 2|. The other end of link 20 is pivotally connected through a pin 22 to one end of a slide-bar 23 having a series of rack teeth 24 on its upper surface. Said slide-bar is mounted for lengthwise reciprocation in a pair of guide bearings 25 and 26 which are integral parts of a casting'2l comprising a rectangular base plate 28, apair of vertically spaced lugs 29 and 36, and a horizontally extending bracket 3|. The left hand end of slide-bar 23 is reduced in diameter to receive a collar 32 which is welded to the slidebar and functions as a stop to limit the movement in onedirection of said slide-bar; thus determining the extreme upright positionof back structure l4.

Along helical spring 33 encircles link 2| and a portion of slide-bar 23 and bears at one 'end against guide bearings 26, and at its other end against lever arm 20. It will be apparent that spring 33 flexes transversely to accommodate the various angular positions of the lever 2| and continuously urges lever arm 2|! in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2 to restore the back Hi to maximum upright position. When an occupant of the seat releases the looking mechanism and presses rearwardly against back l4, the resultant torque tends to rotate rocker-shaft l1 and lever arm 20 in the clockwise direction, a viewed in Fig. 2. This move-" ment of lever 20 moves the link 2| and slide-bar 23 to the left, as viewed in, said Fig. 2. Con versely, when the occupant of the .seat releases the locking mechanism and partially or wholly withdraws his weight from the back M, the resultant. torque reduction tends to diminish the compressive force acting on spring 33. 2

The said locking means includes a vertical lock bolt 36 which is slidably mounted, vertically,

in lugs 29 and and is provided at its lower end with an enlarged foot portion 36a having a series of rack teeth designed to intermesh with the rack teeth 24 on the slide-bar 23. A'dowel pin 31' passing diametrically through lock bolt 36 forms an abutment for the lower end of a coil spring 38. This spring encircles the lock bolt 36 and bears at its upper end against the lug 29. The lock-bolt 36, it willbe observed, is spring-biased or leather.

I a novel arrangement which includes an elongate -arm';cap 39 superimposed upon the main side arm structure l5 and slidable lengthwise thereon to a limited extent. Said arm rest 39 is composed of an elongate wood block 40 capped with .a layer 4| of sponge rubber or other cushioning material and has a cover 42 of upholstery fabric The under side of wood block 40 is slotted to form a lengthwise extending groove 43 in which is seated the elongate sheet metal channel member 44 shown in Fig. 7. Said channel member is secured to the wood block 40 by means of woodscrews 45 and has at each end a pair of opposed flanges 464'| separated by slots 48 through which extend a pair of T-head anchor members 4949. Each member 49 com-. prises a lower flange 56, a vertical portion 5l' and an enlarged head 52 of rectangular crosssection, designed to slidably fit the guideways 53. The lower flanges of anchor members 49 are secured by woodscrews 54 to the wooden top piece 55 forming a part side arm structure I5. I The two anchor members 4949 serve to hold. arm rest 39 in place on the curved upper vedgej of the main side arm, but there is sufilcient loose ness between the flanges 46-41 and the guide members 49-49, to permit the required movement of the arm cap on said curved upper surface of the arm structure to accomplish the requisite amount of movement of a bellcrank 56. to effect release of slide-bar 23. Bellcrank 56 is fulcrumed on a stud 51 (see Fig. 6), which is anchored to bracket 3| and is held in place on said stud by a nut 58. Said bellcrank includes a long vertical lever arm 59, the upper end of which passes through a clearance opening 60 in top piece 55 of the side arm and is pivotally seated in an aperture 6| in the top wall of the channel member 44. The bell-j crank also includes a short horizontal lever arm 62, the free end of which underlies one end of pin 31 and is provided with two upstanding ears; 63-63 between which pin 31 is nested.

The arm cap 39 is shown in its forward posi tion, that is to say, the position which it nor mally assumes and in which it is yieldably held by spring 38 acting through the bellcrank 56.

Whenever an occupant of the coach seat wishes, to recline, he simply allows his weight to bear:- against the back structure of the seat and back on the arm cap. This immediately releases', the back-holding mechanism and the said occu-Q pant can then tilt the back of the seat to any desired extent, within its range of its movement, by regulating the amount of pressure'he, brings to bear against the back structure. Afteradjusting the back to the desired inclination, he. releases the arm cap and the back is thereupon" locked in the desired posture. When, on the other hand, the occupant of the seat wishes-to rise from a recumbent posture, he naturally' grasps the arm cap in order to pull himself up? and in doing so he moves the arm rest rear-'- mechanism so that'the pressure of spring "33 functions to restore the back [4 to its normal position.

The casting 21 is secured by any suitable means 64 to the outer panel 65 of the main side arm structure [5, and all of the back-holding mechanism, except rocker-shaft I1, is housed within a compartment 66 between outer panel 65 and removable inner panel 6?.

The lengthwise movement of arm rest 39 is restricted by the range of movement of arm 59, and said arm rest cannot be moved lengthwise sufiiciently to efiect removal thereof while said arm 59 remains in place. It is, therefore, necessary to remove bellcrank 56 from its supporting stud 5i and thereby disengage arm 59 from channel member 44 in order to be able to move the arm rest lengthwise to a suflicient degree to disengage the same from anchor members 49. Similarly, the arm rest cannot be put in place, in engagement with anchor members 49, except when bellcrank 55 is dismounted, because it cannot otherwise be moved forwardly far enough to permit flanges 46 and 4! to clear anchor members 49. For that reason, installation of the arm rest and the several parts of the locking and restoring mechanism, exclusive of bellcrank 56, is carried out with said bellcrank detached from its supporting stud, the mounting of the bellorank being the final step in the entire assembling operation.

It will be observed from the disclosure of the invention that the provision of the side arm structure with a movable cap and the utilization of the cap for the purpose of manually controlling the adjustable back-holding and restoring mechanism is an important feature of the invention. It will also be observed that there are patentably novel features incorporated in the described mechanism, aside from the specific form of movable arm cap herein shown, and that these features of the invention are capable of being modified in structure and operation without departure from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a seat having a side structure, an adjustably reclinable back, and a spring biasing said back toward upright posture, of mechanism including a slide-bar operatively connected with the back, and a locking bolt associated therewith for releasably locking said back in any of several reclined positions, and means for releasing said locking bolt from its locking position including a lever pivotally supported on said structure and projecting upwardly from its pivotal center and an elongate arm cap superimposed upon said structure and pivotally connected to the free upper end of said lever, said arm cap having an elongate recess opening downwardly and in which is seated an elongate channel member having an opening for reception of said lever, said channel member having each end formed with inturned flanges providing guideways for slidable anchoring engagement with an anchoring element secured to the top of said side structure.

2. The combination with a seat structure ineluding a side portion, an adjustable reclinable back supported for pivotal movement relative to the side portion, and means including a spring positioned to exert pressure against said back for moving it toward its upright position; of locking means mounted on said structure and including a locking element supported on the side portion for releasably locking said back in both its normal upright position and in a reclining position, means for unlocking said mechanism including a lever pivotally supported on said structure and operatively engaging said locking element, and an elongated arm cap superimposed upon said side portion and movably engaging an end of said lever to unlock said mechanism to permit adjustment of said back in either direction; means for movably supporting the arm cap on said portion comprising supporting members fixed to and extending upwardly from the side portion, a metallic channel positioned in the arm cap and having slidable engagement with said support members and provided with means for engaging said lever.

3. The combination with a seat structure including a side portion, a reclinable back including a back rest and a lever, the latter of which is pivotally mounted in said structure and operable to tilt the back to various reclining positions; of mechanism for releasably locking said back in said various reclining positions comprising a bracket fixed on said side portion, a slidebar supported in said bracket for lengthwise movement in a horizontal plane, a link interconnecting one end of said slide-bar with a portiOn of said lever, a helical compression spring encircling said link and a portion of said slidebar and pressing against said lever and a portion of said bracket to bias said back towards its normal upright position, a vertical locking bolt slidably supported on said bracket and engaging said slide-bar to lock the same against lengthwise movement, a spring urging said bolt toward locking engagement with said side bar, a bell crank having a horizontal lever arm connected to said bolt and operated to move said bolt lengthwise against said spring to unlock said slide-bar, said bell crank having a vertical arm projecting upwardly, and an arm cap superimposed upon said side structure and manually movable lengthwise by a person sitting in the seat, said arm cap being connected to the upper end of said bell crank arm and adapted to actuate the same to withdraw the bolt from said side bar.

EDWARD W. HOLLIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,628,764: Beech May 1'7, 1927 2,018,828 Bell Oct. 29, 1935 2,300,561 Ferreira Nov. 3, 1942 

